Reversing-gear.



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"No. 859,984. v PATBNTED JULY 16, 1.907.

' E. G. vSMITH.

'REVERSING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 23.1900.

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WITNESSES:

Z7062 INVENTOR 1 Z WME A TTOR/VE VS 7 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

ERNST G. SMITH, OF OOLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

REVERSING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed March 23, 1906. Serial No- 307,691.

, Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulReversing-Gear, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to reversing gears and has for its object toprovide certain new and useful improvements therein whereby thereversing operation is prompt and effective.

It is also designed to overcome the defect of having the gear run longerin one direction than in the other direction, or, in other words, toinsure the uniform period of rotation in each direction.

A still further object of the invention is to embody the same inpracticable and compact form whereby the device may be convenientlyapplied to any character of machine where it is desired to run first inone direction and then in the opposite direction.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and particularlypointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size and minor details may be made, within thescope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing anyof the advantages of the invention.

1n the drawing: Figure -1 is an elevation of one embodimentof thereversing gear of the present invention,

a part of one of the loose pulleys being broken away to disclose certainparts of the device. Fig. 2 is an end View of the device with the framebroken away. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a detail of the device. Fig. 4 isa detail sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a similarview on the line 55 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the releasingcam. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all ofthe figures of the drawing.

For the support of the operating parts of the present invention, thereis provided a yoke-shaped frame including a substantially horizontalbase 1 having upstanding sides or standards 2 and 3 rising from the endsof the member 1. These frame portions are flanged to stiffen the same,and the flanges of the member 2 serve for attaching the frame to theframe of a machine to be driven. The tops of the frame members 2 and 3terminate in the respective semicircular bearing boxes 4 and 5, overwhich fit the caps 6 and 7 which hold the shaft 8 in place. 7

Upon the shaft 8 is a fixed or fast pulley 9 located between the arms 2and 3 of the frame, and at opposite sides of the fixed pulley are loosepulleys 10 and 11.

Between the loose pulley 10 and the arm 2 is a pinion 12 fast upon theshaft and designed to mesh with a gear 13 carried by the shaft 14 of themachine to be driven.

While the present device is capable of use in connection with nearly anycharacter of machine, it has been primarily. designed for use inconnection with rotary washing machines to drive the latter first in onedirection and then in the opposite direction.

The pulley 11 carries a worm 15 which is fixed thereto but loose uponthe shaft .8, and another worm 16 is fixed to the shaft 8 adjacent theouter end of the worm 15, the two worms having their spiral teethrunning in the same direction. Between the outer worm 16 and the arm 3of the frame, there is an upright bracket 17 which is provided with aneye 18 loosely receiving the shaft 8 and provided with a laterallydirected sleeve 19 received in the bearing 5 and rigidly clamped thereinby the cap 7, whereby the arm 17 is rigidly supported and may be shiftedto opposite sides of the vertical according as the drive belts lead tothe pulleys from the right or the left. The bracket 17 extends below theshaft and constitutes a hanger for the support of a swinging upright arm21 which is pivotally supported upon the hanger 20, as at 22. Thisswinging arm is designed to control the belt shifter and is in turncontrolled by the worms 15 and 16 in the following manner.

The bracket 17'is provided with a lateral extension or arm 23overhanging the shaft 8, and this extension carries a pair ofsubstantially parallel stub shafts 24 and 25. Where the arm 23 ispierced by the shafts, it is provided upon its rear side with anenlargement 26 to form an elongated bearing for the shafts. The shaft 24is over the worm 15 and is designed to be driven thereby, while theshaft 25 is over the worm 16 so as to be driven thereby. In front of thelateral extension 23 and in substantial parallelism therewith, there isan arm or extension 27 projecting from the arm 21. Between the parts '27and 23, and loose upon the shaft 24 is a worm wheel 28 in mesh with theworm 15 which is carried by the loose pulley l1, wherefore the wheel 28is driven from the loose pulley 11. The outer end of the shaft 24terminates in a fixed crank disk 29 lying adjacent the inner face of thepart 27 and provided witha crankpin 30 working in a vertical slot 31 inthe part 27 whereby the arm 21 is swung back and forth upon its pivotalsupport by the action of the crank pin 30 in the slot 31. In order thatthe loose worm wheel 28 may rotate the shaft 24, the shaft is projecteda suitable distance in rear of the part 23 and provided with a nut 32and a helical spring 33 embracing the shaft and bearing in oppositedirections against the-nut 32 and the bearing 26 with a tendency to drawthe shaft rearwardly and frictionally bind the worm Wheel 28 between thedisk 29 and the forward end of a rotatable bushing 34: embracing theshaft and passing through the bearing 26. A washer 35 is interposedbetween the crank disk 29 and the wheel 28, andanother washer 36 isinterposed between the wheel 28 and the inner end of the bushing 34, thelatter being longer than the bearing 26 so as to hold the washer 36 awayfrom the stationary part 23. By this arrangement, when the spring holdsthe parts, 29, 35, 28, 36 and 34 in successive frictional engagement,the wheel 28 rotates the shaft 24, and the latter swings the arm 21through the medium of the crank pin 30 working in the slot 21.

For the purpose of locking the shaft 24 against rotation, there is alatch arm 37, pivoted as at 38, upon the outer end portion of the part23 so as to gravitate against the top of the disk 29, the latter beingprovided with diametrically opposite notches 39 into which a projection40 of the latch 37 is designed to successively drop and thereby hold theshaft against rotation. By the provision of this latch, the shaft 24 maybe held stationary while the wheel 28 is rotating under the drivinginfluence of the worm 15, and when it is desired to swing the arm 21,the latch is lifted so as to release the shaft 24 and permit rotationthereof through the frictional engagement between the disk 29 and thewheel 28. With the latch released, and the pulley 11 rotating, the worm1.5 will rotate the wheel 28 and the shaft 24 and thereby swing the arm21 by the action of the crank pin 30.

It is proposed to automatically control the latch 37 for locking andreleasing the shaft 24, and this is accomplished in the followingmanner. The shaft 25 is fixed upon the part 23 and carries a worm wheel41 loosely rotatable thereon and in mesh with the worm 16 so as torotate upon the shaft 25 when the worm 16. is rotated. Upon the frontend of the shaft is a loosely rotatable disk 42 having a hub 43 upon itsrear side to space the disk from the worm wheel so as to lie in the sameplane with the crank disk 29 on the shaft 24 and the latch arm 37. Aradial projection or tappet arm 44 extends from the periphery of thedisk 42, and is of a length to strike the under side of the latch arm 37In the front of the wheel 41 there is an annular series of sockets 45for the individual reception of one or a pair of pins 46, each of whichis of a length to overlap the periphery of the disk 42 for contact withthe arm 44 so as to rotate the disk with the wheel to bring the arm 44into engagement with the under side of the latch arm 37 for the purposeof lifting the latter to free the shaft 24.

It will here be explained that two belts are employed in connection withthe present gear, such for instance, as shown at 47 and 47, one of thebelts being twisted so as to transfer power in an opposite direction tothe other belt. The belt 47 cooperates with the loose pulley 10 and isof a width to be entirely out of engagement with the fast pulley 9 whenthrown upon the loose pulley 10, while the belt 47 is wider so as to bealways in engagement with the loose pulley 11, Wherefore the worm 15 isalways rotating with the pulley 11 and in the same direction.

With the parts of the device in the relation shown in Fig. 1, the shaft24 is locked by the latch 37, and as the worm 16 is always in rotation,the worm-wheel 41 is likewise rotating loosely upon the fixed shaft 25.When one of the pins 46 carried by the worm 41 engages the tappet arm44, the disk 42 will be rotated, and the arm 44 will strike the underside of the latch arm 37 so as to elevate the latter and release theshaft 24. Just as soon as the shaft 24 has been released, the frictionalengagement between the parts 29, 35, 28 and 36, will be sufficient torotate the shaft and the disk 29, thereby moving the crank pin 30 in theslot 31 which swings the arm 21 to the right or the left according tothe direction of rotation of the shaft 24. When the latch 37 has beenlifted out of the notch 39, the projection 40 will rest upon theperiphery of the disk 29 during therotation of the latter until theopposite notch 39 comes into alinement with the projection 40, whereuponthe latter will drop into the notch and again lock the shaft 24 againstrotation, the wheel 28 of course continuing to rotate loosely upon theshaft 24 as it is positively driven by the worm 15. The movement of thearm 21 from one limit to the other, of course shifts one belt from thefast pulley 9 and the other belt to the fast pulley, whereby thedirection of rotation of the fast pulley will be reversed, andconsequently the direction of rotation of the worm 16 will likewise bereversed as the worm is fixed upon the shaft 8. When the direction ofrotation of the worm 16 reverses, the direction of rotation of the wormwheel 41 will be reversed, and therefore the other pin 46 will travel upand lift the arm 44 into engagement with the latch 37 so as to disengagethe latter from the shaft 24 and permit rotation of the shaft from thedisk 29 to swing the arm 21 in the reverse direction.

It will here be explained that the arm 21 remains stationary at eachlimit of its movement during the time it requires for one of the pins 46to come into engagement with the arm 44, after which the arm 21 swingsto its other limit during the rotation of the shaft 24, whereupon itagain becomes stationaryso long as the disk 29 and the shaft 24 arelocked against rotation by the latch 37 By this arrangement, the arm 21is positively moved at regular intervals so as to insure the same numberof rotations of the drive shaft 8 in each of its directions of movement.This is a very important feature, particularly in connection withwashing machines, as it prevents the articles being washed from becomingtangled within the washing machine. 7

While any approved form of belt shifting means may be associated withthe swinging arm 21, I prefer to employ that shown in the accompanyingdrawing. Upon the top of the bracket 17 there is a transverse arm whichoverhangs the pulleys and is provided at opposite sides with thebearings 49 and 50 in which a slidable bar 51 is mounted to rotate andto reciprocate. The bearing 50 is fixed, whereas, the bearing 49 slidesupon the arm 48 with the bar 51, there being suitable collars or thelike 52 fixed upon the bar 51 at opposite sides of the bearing 49 tohold the bar against endwise movement through the hearing. A beltengaging element, preferably a loop 53 projects from the bearing 49 andreceives the belt 47, while another belt engaging element 54 projectsfrom the bearing 49 at the opposite side thereof and receives the belt47, whereby the two belts are simultaneously shifted in the samedirection with the endwise movement of the bar 51. A fixed sleeve orcylindrical enlargement 55 is provided upon the bar 51 and carries adownturned crank 56 having its upper end loosely received within asocket 57 in the top of the arm 21,

whereby the bar 51 is slid back and forth by the' swinging movement ofthe arm 21. A weighted crank normally maintain the crank arm 56 inengagement with the swinging arm 21. A pair of converged spiral flanges59 are provided upon the part 55 for simultaneous engagement with theinner sides of a pair of upstanding flanges or projections 60 risingfrom the arm 48, whereby, when the weighted handle 58 is swung upward,the arm 56 will be lifted out of engagement with the arm 21, and one orthe other of the flanges 59 will wipe across the inner side of theadjacent projection 60 and thereby shift the bar 51 outward so as tocenter the bearing 49 between the loose pulleys 10 and 11, thereby tohold 'each of the driving belts out of engagement With the fast pulley 9whenever it is desired to stop the operation of the machine to which thegear is coupled. In this position of the belt shifter, the loose pulleysstill-continue to rotate and the arm 21 will swing back and forth, butas the arm 56 is out of engagement with the arm 21, there will be noshifting of the belt shifter.

It is designed to release the latch arm 37 by the movement of the rockbar 51 when throwing the belt shifter out of operation. This isaccomplished by means of a chain 61 connected to the outer end of thelatch arng 37 and also connected to a crank arm 62 carried by the rockbar 51 adjacent the weighted crank handle 58. By this arrangement, whenthe crank handle 58 is thrown upward, the latch arm 37 is lifted out ofthe notch in the disk 29, whereby the shaft 24 is released and the arm21 will swing back and forth under the influence of the crank pin 30,which porduces less friction and wear than if the shaft 24 was locked bythe latch and the gear 28 rotated by the worm 15 against the frictionalresistance of the washers 35 and 36.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a belt shifter, mechanismcontrolled by the movement of the loose pulley to actuate the beltshifter, locking means for the belt shifter actuating mechanism, andmeans controlled by the rotation of the shaft to release the lockingmeans..

2. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a belt shifter, mechanismcontrolled by the loose pulley for actuating the belt shifter, saidmechanism having a portion continuously driven by the loose pulley,locking means for the other portion of said mechanism, and meanscontrolled by the shaft for releasing the locking device.

In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixed pulleythereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a worm driven by the loosepu]ley,. another worm fixed upon the shaft, worm wheels in mesh with therespective worms, belt shifting means controlled by one of the Wormwheels, means to lock the belt shifting means, and means controlled bythe other worm wheel to release the belt shifting means.

4. I11 a reversing gear, the combination of a'driven crank driven by thedrive gear, a belt shifter associated with the crank, means to lock thecrank, and a crank releasing gear in mesh with the shaft gear.

6. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by theloose pulley, another gear fixed upon the shaft, a drive gear in meshwith the pulley gear, a crank disk driven by frictional engagement withthe drive gear, a belt shifter associated with the crank disk, lockingmeans for the crank disk, a releasing gear in mesh with the shaft gear,and means controlled by the releasing gear for releasing the lockingmeans.

7. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by thepulley, another gear fixed upon the shaft, a drive gear in mesh with thepulley gear, a crank disk driven by frictional contact with the drivegear and provided with diametrically opposite seats, belt shifting meansassociated with the crank disk, a latch having a projection forsuccessive engagement with the seats of the crank disk to lock the same,a releasing gear in mesh with the shaft gear, and a tappet armcooperating with the latch to release the same and controlled by thereleasing gear.

8. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by theloose pulley, another gear fixed upon the shaft, a rotatable stub shaftcarrying a crank disk, a belt shifter associated with the crank disk, adrive gear loose upon the stub shaft and in mesh with the pulley gear,means to efiect a frictional drive engagement between the drive gear andthe crank disk, locking means for the crank disk, a fixed stub shaft, 3.releasing gear loose thereon and in mesh with the gear shaft, and atappet arm loose upon the fixed shaft and intermittently driven by thereleasing gear in cotiperative relation with the locking means torelease the latter.

D. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by theloose pulley, a gear fixed to the shaft,

a rotatable stub shaft, a drive gear loose upon the stub shaft and inmesh with the pulley gear, a crank disk carried by the stub shaft, aspring to yieldably maintain a frictional drive engagement between thedisk and the drive gear, belt shifting means associated with the crankdisk, a locking device for the crank disk, a releasing gear in mesh withthe shaft gear, and a tappet arm intermittently -controlled by thereleasing gear to release the locking means.

10. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft,

a gear driven by the loose pulley, a gear fixed upon the shaft, a drivegear in mesh with the pulley gear, a releasing gear in mesh with theshaft gear, a crank having a frictional drive connection with the drivegear, belt shifting means associated with the crank, means to lock thecrank, a tappet arm to release the locking means, the releasing gearhaving an annular series of seats, and a tappet pin for removableengagement with the individual seats to engage and. operate the tappetarm.

11. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, a fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a worm driven by thepulley, a Worm fixed upon the shaft,. a bracket, a rotatable shaftcarried by the bracket and provided with a crank disk, belt shiftingmeans associ ated with the crank disk, a worm wheel loose upon therotatable shaft and in mesh with the pulley worm, means to yieldablymaintain a frictional drive connection between the crank disk and theworm wheel, locking means for the crank disk, a fixed stub shaft carriedby the bracket, a reversing worm wheel loose upon the fixed stub shaftand in mesh with the shaft worm, a tappet arm loose upon the fixedshaft, the reversing wheel being provided with an annular series ofseats, and a tappet pin for individual en gagement with the seats toengage the tappet arm and rotate the latter to release the lockingmeans.

12. In a reversing gear, the combination of a bracket, a belt shifterslidable upon the bracket, a controller associated with the beltshifter, the belt shifter being rotatable for disconnection from thecontroller, and a spiral upon the belt shifter normally out ofengagement with the bracket, a portion of the bracket being in the pathof the spiral when the belt shifter is rotated to automatically slidethe belt shifter and hold the belts on the loose pulleys.

13. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, :1 fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by theloose pulley, another gear fixed upon the shaft, a drive gear in meshwith the pulley gear, a crank disk driven by frictional engagement withthe drive gear, locking means for the crank disk, a releasing gear inmesh with the shaft gear, means-controlled by the releasing gear forreleasing the locking means, a belt shifter removably associated withthe crank disk, and means controlled by the disassociation of the beltshifter from the crank disk to release the locking means.

14. In a reversing gear, the combination of a driven shaft, 3 fixedpulley thereon, a loose pulley upon the shaft, a gear driven by thepulley, another gear fixed upon the shaft, a drive gear in mesh with thepulley gear a crank disk driven by frictional contact with the drivegear and provided with diametrically opposite seats, a latch having aprojection for successive engagements with the seats of the crank diskto lock the same, a releasing gear in mesh with the shaft gear, a tappetarm cooperating with the latch to release the same and controlled by thereleasing gear, an endwise movable belt shifter associated with thecrank disk and also capable of a rotary movement for disassociation withthe crank disk, and means extending be.- tween the latch and the beltshifter to release the latch from the crank disk when the belt shifteris rotated to release it from the crank disk.

